The Dark Knight Rises (Spoiler-Free)

When I got out of The Dark Knight Rises I hadn’t yet decided if I liked the movie.  Christopher Nolan’s movies, particularly his Batman movies, are packed with symbolism, references, and perfect characters.  In The Dark Knight Harvey Dent is the perfect “good guy” foil for Batman, he’s even referenced as the “White Knight” of Gotham.  Dent is the Lawful Good to Batman’s Chaotic Good, while the Joker is the Chaotic Evil, and through his evil, the Joker brings Dent down to the level of Lawful Evil, a fall from grace that nearly mimics Batman’s own.  The problem when analyzing the symbolism in a movie such as this is that it requires the entire story arc, therefor I will be writing two reviews for The Dark Knight Rises, the first (this one) will be entirely spoiler-free, and the second one will be spoilerific.  So hold on tight, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

I would immediately hesitate to say that The Dark Knight Rises is better than The Dark Knight (man this is going to get confusing) because, as dark a note TDK ended on, TDKR begins on an even darker one and it only goes downhill.  TDKR is one of the most immensely dark and bleak movies I have ever watched.  But, that’s Nolan’s point.  The Dark Knight Trilogy, like many before it, follows the story of Jesus; the rise, fall, and resurrection of a savior.  The DKT is one of the best modern examples of this pattern, while other trilogies like The Matrix or Pirates of the Caribbean follow this pattern, the DKT uses it so much Nolan saw fit to title the movies after it and TDKR is a movie about hope and ascension.  But, I’m losing track here.

The Dark Knight Rises is a brilliant movie.  I would say that it is the best movie Christopher Nolan has ever made.  It isn’t perfect.  Nolan took Batman, or Bruce Wayne, from a rather static and boring character in the other Batman movies and turned him into a beautiful, tragic hero.  Every movie sees him face challenges both external and internal, increasing in scale every movie.  TDKR returns to the theme of fear from Batman Begins and takes it in the only direction he could take it.  Bruce Wayne is an amazing character however Bane is less than amazing.

Bane is hulking, menacing, dark, and made entirely of symbolism.  Unfortunately, despite the initial shock of such a blatantly dark villain and the deep layers of meaning and message behind him, as a character Bane is boring.  He never seems to have a personality of his own, unlike the Joker, who is a true anarchist; Bane seems to only do what is necessary to fulfill his plan with no ulterior motives and no real character arc.  Even the motives Nolan shows us don’t entirely satisfy his reason for doing.

Nolan has also increased the amount of symbolism in the movies as they went on.  In TDK he struck the perfect balance between entertainment and symbolism, while in TDKR he loses a lot of the entertainment value in favor of literary value.  The problem is that, even though it's for a purpose and it makes sense, the bleak tone of the movie may just be too dark for mainstream audiences to enjoy.  Still, from a guy who loves literary symbolism, I had a blast and loved every minute of it.

The Dark Knight Rises is a triumph and an exquisite end to one of the best, if not the best, super hero trilogies of all time.

9.8/10